Potomac Horse Fever Facts Summertime, and the living is easy…for the carriers of Potomac Horse Fever (PHF). Our wet spring and recent hot weather provide favorable environments for the aquatic insects and snails that carry the bacteria and infect horses. Here are some key pieces of information about PHF that can help protect your horses: […]
The old adage states that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” and that is especially true in emergency situations, and even more so with horses. Emergencies at an equine facility can range from a horse with a wound, illness, or colic to a barn fire to natural disasters and beyond. Preparation […]
Clara Louise had been battling chronic laminitis for months, but suddenly things went from bad to worse. At 13 years old, the TB/Welsh cross mare was now so severely lame that she was reluctant to move. She had been on medical treatment for the chronic laminitis, including Prascend® to treat her Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction […]
Recently, an excellent article was published by Dr. Andy Roark; “5 Things this Tech Wishes You Knew Before Euthanizing” that provides helpful information about how a pet owner can ease the experience for themselves and their pets when the dreaded day comes to say goodbye. I highly recommend checking out the article. Working on horses […]
There it was, the news that horse owners dread to hear: the young, beautiful, talented warmblood that she bred had a suspensory tear. All the momentum of his promising career in dressage seemed to have ground to a halt, and now a new goal loomed. Roberta Falk was determined to pursue the best course of treatment […]
Recently, 17 racing Quarter Horses in Tennessee tested positive for Equine Piroplasmosis (EP), and the investigation into this outbreak is ongoing. Piroplasmosis is considered a Foreign Animal Disease in the United States, and is thus a reportable disease in horses. Although officially considered a disease foreign to the USA, EP outbreaks occasionally occur. Read on […]
1. FOR THOSE WITH ASTHMA-LIKE RAO OR SPAOPD, EVERY BREATH CAN BE A STRUGGLE If you know a horse with one of these diseases (which you may know as equine COPD or heaves) – you’ve seen how they can suffer. Inflammation of the airways causes breathlessness, wheezing, and coughing that no horse should experience YOU […]
There are times when your veterinarian might advise running some “bloodwork” on your horse, but why? What information is gained, and how might it help? The answer depends on the specific tests run. Obviously, there are blood tests to detect the presence of specific viruses and bacteria that cause diseases, but what about the hematology […]
On an early morning in March, Susan Drillock went out to the barn, as she does every morning, to feed her horses. Included in her herd were Bandit and Bonnie, a pair of miniatures adopted from a neighbor. They had lived together for years with little interaction with people; although Bandit was halter broke, Bonnie […]
Does your horse have stomach ulcers? Is he crabby, girthy, or bucking after fences? Has he been colicking, losing weight, or refusing to eat his grain? Maybe his haircoat is poor, or he has lost impulsion. Or perhaps, he appears to be in perfect health. Any and all of these issues can be due to […]